Broken Hearts
by supermegafoxtawesomehot
Summary: Aria and Ezra have been dating happily for two years until the worst happens and Ezra is arrested? How will our favorite couple fare?
1. Chapter 1

**AN:I wrote this story to deal with some personal things that were going on in my life and it helped me a lot. It is already fully written at 6 chapters and because the new season is going to make it null and void I wanted to post it before we find out what is really going to happen. The first chapter has an authors note in the middle and my beta suggested taking it out because a lot of people don't like them. I am going to post the chapter with it, first then let me know what you think in a review or message and I will take it out or leave it in depending on the response I get **

**Thank you so much to my beta xxxTrojan-Princessxxxand. I own nothing of Pretty Little Liars **

"And what will you be ordering tonight?" Aria hesitated for a second before answering the waitress, everything looked so good.

"I think am going to go with the Seafood Alfredo thank you."

"Ok, I will be right back with both your orders." The waitress smiled. Aria set down her menu and looked around the restaurant as the waitress left.

"Ok, Ezra how did you pull this off?" Aria glanced at him with a huge smile.

"What ever do you mean?" He asked with an air of fake innocence.

"It's impossible to get reservations here, believe me, I tried. I wanted to get my parents reservations for their anniversary but it was booked for three months."

"Well maybe you just don't have the clout I do," he smirked, his signature boyish grin gracing his face. Aria did her best to raise an eyebrow whilst trying to hide the smile that was threatening to break through. She always found it hard to resist him when he did that and he knew it. After ten seconds Ezra finally caved.

"Ok, I may have gone to college with one of the cooks and had to beg on bended knee for him to fit us in." They both laughed for a second before he continued. "It was worth it though, just to see your face light up. I love you so much."

"Not as much as I love you." Aria leaned over the small table and kissed him without a care in the world.

Aria had turned 18 a month ago and while their relationship was no longer illegal and they weren't hiding it, they hadn't told anyone yet because they knew there would be talk.

"This is perfect," she said with a smile. Ezra grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb gently over it. As Aria looked into his eyes, her smile faltered for a second. It looked as though she was debating with herself. Ezra's eyes suddenly became concerned.

"Aria what is it?" concern etched in his voice.

"Nothing it's just… I need to tell you something…" she glanced down at his hand holding hers.

"You can tell me anything, you know that," he encouraged.

Aria took a deep breath and continued, "Ezra, I'm pregnant."

"That's…" Ezra paused for a moment trying to find the right words to express exactly how he was feeling. It surprised him that, even though he was an English teacher, the appropriate words escaped him, so he settled for, "that's wonderful."

She gave him a small smile but continued, "What are we going to do?"

"Let's not worry about that now. It's a good thing; this is without a doubt the happiest moment of my life. Besides you're 18 now, there's nothing anyone can do."

"…But Ezra, I'm two and a half months along which means I was 17 when I got pregnant. I'm scared if anyone finds out you're the father they will figure out we were together when our relationship wasn't legal. The statute of limitations isn't up yet."

**AN:**

_**Snape- **_**"Now, before we all continue, I'm going to give you your very, very first Pop Quiz.****Can anyone tell me what the statute of limitations is? Oh, yes Miss Granger?"**

_**Hermione Granger- **_**"The statute of limitations is a type of federal or state law that restricts the time within which legal proceedings maybe brought**_._**"**

**Snape- "Very good…****Now can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?... Yes Miss Granger."**

_**Hermione Granger- "**_**Foreshadowing****is a dramatic device in which an important plot point is mentioned early in the story, to return later in a more significant way."**

_**Snape-**_** "****Perfect."**

_**Ron Weasley-**_**"What's the statute of limitations again I missed that one?"**

_**Hermione Granger-**_**"Oh it's the time in which an accused can be convicted of a crime of which they are charged. Professor, what is the point of this quiz?"**

_**Snape-**_** "****Oh no, no, no point in particular, just important information that everyone should know…Especially you." (Points and stares at reader)**

"I doubt anyone will look that far into it hun, and if they do we will face it as it comes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. There's no point in ruining a perfect moment with 'what if's'," Aria gave him a gentle peck on the lips.

They enjoyed the rest of their dinner in a state of joyous bliss and talked about names and all the things they would need when the time came for the baby to be born.

Before they knew it the night was over and they were getting out of Ezra's car outside his apartment building. Holding their leftovers over their heads like umbrellas, trying to shield themselves from the rain, they ran inside.

"Do you want me to stay over tonight?" Aria winked and Ezra caught her mood instantly.

Instead of dignifying her question with a response, he quickly captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Half stumbling, they moved quickly through the halls toward his apartment without breaking their embrace. Ezra fumbled for his keys, the moment the door opened they tumbled into the room, falling on the floor. They laughed and continued to kiss on the floor until a voice shook them out of their bubble.

"Ezra Fitz? You're under arrest for the statutory sexual assault of Aria Montgomery." The voice was clear and unwavering.

They looked up and saw six uniformed police officers and Aria's parents standing in the doorway.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the amazing feedback. I was not expecting this sort of response and it made me very happy that so many of you liked it. I also want to thank you for your concern for whats going on in my life right now. I don't wan't to post it in my chapter because it would take to much space but if you would like to know you can message me. ****Special thanks to SolitudeMyLove, thehelloitsme, LauralovesPLL, Brianna, msbookworm93, HarrylovesGinny09, literaturefrenzy23, and _ for reviewing my story. xxxTrojan-Princessxxx you are an amazing Beta, and I own nothing of Pretty Little Liars.**

Aria stood in horror as two of the officers walked forward and grabbed Ezra's arms, leading him toward the door. With a fierce scream she ran toward them, trying desperately to pry their hands off of him. Her efforts were in vain as another officer came up behind her and restrained her before forcefully seating her on the couch.

"Are you Aria Montgomery?" he asked her, peering down at her face.

"I'm not going to tell you a damn thing!" she growled, her chest heaving with every angry breath.

"Aria," Ella gasped but the officer raised his hand to shrug it off, apparently used to this kind of reception.

"How dare you come here and do this! I am a completely consenting adult, you have no right!" Aria continued, her anger mounting. She glanced over at Ezra to see he was being read his Miranda rights.

The officer ignored her and pulled out a picture.

"Do you recognize this?" he asked her. She could only stare for a few moments as fear filled her. It was a picture of her and Ezra being "intimate" but that was not what caught Aria's attention. What caused a lump to form in her throat was the little red time stamp in the corner, March 9, 2011. She had been sixteen when it was taken.

"How did you get this?" she gasped.

"That's not the issue here," he responded, his glance at Byron and Ella told Aria all she needed to know.

"Mom? Dad?" she said, tears starting to build.

"We found it on our car earlier today and immediately called the police," Byron finally answered.

"Why?" she asked, anger slowly filling her again.

"Aria, what he did to you was wrong. It was sick and illegal, and he needs to go to jail," Ella said glaring at the subject of her statement.

"Why didn't you talk to me first?" she cried.

"What could you have possibly said to make it better Aria? He was a teacher who was taking advantage of his student – a minor. Of course we alerted the authorities when we found out," Ella said exasperatedly.

"I could have told you that I love him with all my heart. I could have told you that I can't imagine my life without him." Her eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to fall; she fought against them, knowing that if she allowed them to fall that she would never stop. "And," she paused for a moment, regaining her composure, "I could have told you that I was pregnant." Silence fell over the room as her words began to sink in. "Now, because of you, he will miss the first few years of our child's life, something he can never get back and I will never forgive you for that."

She looked around at all the faces and was surprised to find that even some of the officers looked sympathetic, but they had a job to do and when the silence continued all but the one who was talking with Aria walked out the front door, with Ezra in tow.

The officer looked at Aria, clearly at a loss for words. He moved to speak in an attempt to cover some of the awkwardness of the whole situation.

"You will be expected to be at the hearing next week to testify." He informed her after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Like hell I will. I'm not testifying against him." Aria snapped. Without another word she bolted out the door after Ezra, desperate to see him before he was taken away.

She reached him just as the officers were about to put him in the back of the car, and kissed him as if she would never be able to kiss him again.

After they broke apart he whispered, "I love you Aria, none of this is your fault. I knew the risks going into this, you are worth it, I wouldn't take back a second."

"I love you too," she plastered a small smile on her face, determined to not let him see her pain. She brushed his hair in her signature way and gently placed a hand on his cheek before the officers separated them.

They put him in the back of the squad car, but before they drove off he leaned out the window.

"Aria, I know its going to be hard, but my apartment is paid off so you and the baby can stay there, and if things go badly, there should be enough money in my bank account to support you both until I get out. I promise I…" he told her, but the rest of his sentence was cut off as the engine started.

She watched helplessly as the police car drove away into the distance. "Ezra!" she screamed. Finally, something inside her snapped and the tears she had been fighting flowed freely down her face mixing with the rain. She fell on her knees and let the sobs overtake her body, not caring that it was midnight or that the rain soaked through her clothes chilling her to the bone.

She sat hunched over on the ground, the void in her body threatening to completely over take her as she stared vacantly at the space where the patrol car had vanished. The buzzing of her cell phone caused her to jump, pulling her away slightly from the void. Numbly she fumbled for it and read the message slowly not being able to see clearly through her tears.

_Poor Aria, looks like baby daddy's gone for a while. Tell him I say hi when you visit him in lock up. Kisses -A_

**Ok another chapter down. Can you believe its only two days until pll comes back? Think of this as your count down. I will post two chapters a day until it comes back on. Please review. **_  
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	3. Chapter 3

**If I owned Pretty Little Liars it would be back already! Thanks to my beta for making my writing legible.**

Aria wasn't sure how long she lay there in the middle of the sidewalk, but she soon felt two hands grab her shoulders and shake her slightly

"Aria honey, you need to get out of the cold, it's not good for… for the baby…" Ella Montgomery stuttered over the word. She was still trying to come to grips with the fact her baby was going to have a baby.

At her words Aria slowly started coming out of her grief induced fog. The baby mattered, was important. If for nothing else, she had to be strong for her child.

She shakily stood up, stared at her mom for a second with a completely expressionless face in place and turned around making her way to her car, completely ignoring the shouts from behind her.

Aria didn't know exactly where she was going, but knew she didn't want to see her parents. They would probably be at Ezra's for a while so now would be the perfect time to stop by her, now former, house and start getting her things so she wouldn't have to get it later. As she adjusted her course to head toward her new destination, she couldn't stop herself from wondering how things had gotten so screwed up so fast. She looked at the clock in her car and realized it hadn't even been an hour since everything went down, it seemed like so much longer.

As she pulled up to the house she had lived in for most her life, she couldn't help feeling as though it was a stranger's home. There was none of the comforting warmth that she had always associated with it, no safety, just more disappointment.

As swiftly as she could, she started gathering all of her things from around the house and went up to her room to grab a bag. She placed the handful of items she had gathered and started with her room. When she was done, she had one rolling suitcase, two duffle bags and a back pack. That was most of her stuff and what was left she didn't need or didn't care about. She started hauling all of the bags she had gathered as fast as she could manage down the stairs. She wasn't quick enough though. As she came upon the last step, the door swung open, and her parents met her gaze with shocked expressions on there faces.

"Aria, you can't just take off like that! We were worried sick. We had no idea where you were!" Ella said sternly.

"Oh so now, you care about me?" The venom in Aria's voice took both of them back before.

"Of course we care about you, that is_why_were doing this Aria. You're six years his junior, do you really think actually he cares about you? He is using you and you are going to get hurt. We are protecting you," Ella replied.

"That statement right there, proves you don't know anything about our relationship," Aria said as she moved forward.

"Where do you think your going?" Byron said, speaking for the first time since the scene in Ezra's apartment.

"Home!" she nearly shouted

"You are home," he told her firmly.

"No, home is where the heart is and that's sure as hell isn't here." She pushed her way passed her parents and as she reached to door she turned and said, "I don't want anything to do with you, don't call, don't write, don't visit. You lost me the second you made that phone call."

Aria slammed the door closed leaving Byron and Ella standing in the entry way completely frozen.

As Aria drove down the familiar roads the same thoughts kept repeating in her head. _How can they do this? After everything we have been through? We had almost made it._ As she pulled up to the apartment she was relieved to see the police were gone.

Sitting in her car she pulled out her phone and messaged the girls to come over as quickly as they could. Once she got an affirmative from all of them she got out of the car, grabbed her things and started walking up the stairs to the apartment. She grabbed the key from under the mat and added it to her key ring.

As soon as she was inside, she went to the bedroom and changed into one of Ezra's shirts. It smelled like him and she really needed that right now.

Aria grabbed her bags and started unloading her things into the apartment. She knew it could wait until morning at least, but it would be a while before the girls got there and she had to keep busy or she would lose her mind

She was about half way done when Emily, Hanna and Spencer knocked on the door. When Aria let them in they took in her tear stained face and demeanour and knew immediately what must have happened to cause her to call them in the middle of the night.

"He's gone. They took him to jail a few hours ago." Aria said softly, her voice on the verge of breaking

Hanna was the first one to react and wrapped her arms around her friend. "It's going to be ok," she told her. Spencer and Emily moved over joined Hanna and Aria in the hug.

"I'll see if I can get my mom to defend him pro bono," Spencer said.

"Really?" Aria breathed with relief. She had been worrying about how they could afford a lawyer with a baby on the way, so this was a huge relief. For the first time since everything happened, she felt a spark of hope.

The rest of the night was spent eating chocolate ice cream and talking about how they were going to fix this.

Once the girls were asleep, Aria went over to the computer and started doing her own research. The first place she looked was the prison website. Johnston Correctional Institution was the closest jail to Rosewood and Aria knew that was where he would most likely be taken. After a half hour she was forced to concede there wasn't a whole lot to find beside the fact it was an all male medium security prison and their visiting schedule.

She then turned her attention to another matter, how to get out of testifying. She knew there had to be a way to prevent it, but was getting frustrated because she wasn't seeing anything. She had almost given up hope when she found it. A smile formed on her face as she read the words on the screen and all she could think was,_this just might work_.

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	4. Chapter 4

** I wanted you guys to know I actually spent a lot of time looking up the laws of Pennsylvania so almost everything in this chapter is correct. The jail I mentioned in the last chapter is a real jail and all the laws I mention are correct. Did you know there is no "statutory rap" is Pennsylvania. The closest thing is statutory sexual assault witch is what Ezra is being charged with. Thank you so much to my beta xxxTrojan-Princessxxx to all my reviewers and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't own Pretty Little Liars I just wish I did. **

Aria sat in the first row of the court with her three best friends by her side hand in hand. She glanced around the court room and was surprised when she saw her parents sitting in the back row. She focused her attention forward again and took a deep breath as the Bailiff approached the front of the courtroom

"All rise. The superior court of Rosewood in the state of Pennsylvania is now in session the Honorable Judge Michaels presiding."

"Please be seated, This court will come to order. Bailiff can we have the first case? The bailiff walked up to the stand and gave the Judge a manila folder witch he promptly looked over before continuing. Case docket 573957, The state of Pennsylvania v. Ezra Fitz Statutory Sexual Assault in the Second Degree. How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty your Honor" Mrs. Hastings answered.

"Very well, the prosecution may call its first witness" the Judge continued glancing at the DA.

"We call Aria Montgomery to the stand" the Attorney said

Aria rose from where she had been sitting and walked quickly up to the witness stand. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and hopefully damage the prosecutions case as much as she could

"Please put your right hand on the bible" Aria did so and the bailiff continued "Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?"

"I do"

The Defense Attorney rose from his seat and walked over to the front of the courtroom ready to start his questioning

"Can you please state your name for the record" he said

"She leaned towards the microphone in front of her. "Aria Fitz."

She held out her left hand so everyone could see the beautiful diamond ring on her finger

There was a defining silence in the courtroom and every one without exception wore the same shocked expression.

Ezra was surprised because they had agreed they weren't going to tell anyone yet.

He looked at his layer and was astounded to find Mrs. Hastings smiling at this revelation. "Your honor" she began "According to the English Evidence Amendment Act of 1853, neither husbands nor wives can be forced to disclose any communication made to the other."

"That is true Mrs. Hastings ," the Judge said "Why was she subpoenaed to testify without being given the option not to?"

"We did not know your honor. Her parents were the ones that pressed charges and they listed her as Miss. Montgomery" the Attorney said slightly flustered.

The Judge turned to Aria and asked "Mrs. Fitz how long have you and the defendant been married?"

"A little over a month, way before all this started. We went to Vegas for a weekend and didn't tell anyone. I have the certificate right hear." She said.

The Bailiff took the piece of paper from her and handed it to the Judge. After looking at it for a few moments he seemed to be satisfied of its authenticity so he turned to Aria.

"Ok then, Mrs. Fitz, Would you like to invoke your right of Marital privilege, Meaning you will not be able to testify today?

"I would" she said with a smile.

"Very well then, Please step down"

"In that case I would like to move that the case against my client be dismissed, as the bulk of the prosecutions case rested on Mrs. Fitz's testimony.

"Your honor, the State still has photographic evidence of the crime in question." The DA said, desperate to salvage his case

"Have they been authenticated?" the Judge asked

Yes, your Honor. We have a photograph annalist scheduled to testify to that next.'

"Then your motion to dismiss is denied, Mrs. Hastings." The Judge told her.

The rest of the trial flew by in a blur for Aria. She was so worried about the outcome all she could hear was the pounding of her racing heart.

After the closing arguments it was a waiting game. The Jury needed to deliberate so Aria found her self sitting in hallway, hoping beyond anything that he would get off. She saw her parents by the drinking fountain a ways down but didn't make any motion that she had seen them even though they had been trying to catch her eye.

Finally after what seemed like days they were told that the Jury had come back. Aria looked at her watch and saw it had been almost 2 hours. Was that good? She had no idea. After walking into the courtroom she took her seat and grabbed Spencer's hand.

"Thank you madam Forman, has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?"

"We have your honor" The Forman said

"Please hand the verdict to the Bailiff."

The Bailiff took several papers from the Jury and handed them to the Judge, who glanced at them.

"Will the defendant please rise. In the case of Statutory Sexual Assault in the second degree how do the people find." He asked

"We the people find the defendant Ezra Fitz guilty"

"NOOOOO" Aria screams was all that could be heard as she fell on Hanna's lap and sobbed. A part of her had started to hope.

"I'm sorry, but if you cannot control yourself I will be forced to hold you in contempt of court."

Aria took a few deep breaths to contain herself before nodding her understanding but that didn't stop the tears from flowing down her face.

"Thank you Jury, for your services, you are dismissed. As for the defendant, I am sickened that this was even brought to court. The love between these two is obvious to me and I have only seen them for a few hours. However the laws of the state of Pennsylvania bind me so Mr. Fitz, You are hereby sentenced to the minimum the state will allow. Your teaching license will be revoked and must serve 1 year in a medium security prison. However early release may be considered with good behavior.

"Case Closed" the Judge declared and brought his gavel down sealing the two lovers' fate.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Ok only one more chapter after this. I know a lot of you did not like the fact I had Ezra go to jail but there are very few fanfictions that actually have him go to jail and I wanted to explore that. He will be missing there child's birth but don't worry, I am a huge sucker for happy endings. Once again thank you top my beta xxxTrojan-Princessxxx and **

10 months later

"Kayla, be a good girl and stay still for mommy," Aria said to the 3 month old bundle lying on the bed in front of her. She was currently trying to pull a pink onesie over the infants head, but apparently Kayla had other plans. "Kayla, today's a big day, Daddy is coming home," she smiled trying to get the baby girl to stop making a fuss. When that didn't work, she softly started singing.

"_Hush __little __baby, __don't __say __a __word, __Momma__'__s __gonna __buy __you __a __Mockingbird__…__"_

Slowly but surely as the song progressed Kayla stopped thrashing about and Aria was able to button up the infant's clothes. As she gathered her things and walked out the front door she couldn't help but think about her life.

After Ezra had been sentenced she thought her life was over. It had been a dark time in her life, but the girls came over almost everyday, and with their help she began to function again. She got a job at the local bookstore and worked there until two weeks before the baby was due. She had wanted to save up some money to hold her over until Ezra got out. He was a saver and had a good amount of money in his account, but she hadn't wanted to use his money unless she had to.

She fastened Kayla into her car seat and smiled at her beautiful daughter. She was born Kayla Grace Fitz. She had her father's eyes and brown hair but from what Aria could tell from pictures, everything else was exactly what she had looked like as an infant. Kayla was the light of her life and Aria loved her to death. She only wished Ezra could see her, which was why she was bringing her today. They had agreed they didn't want to bring the baby to the prison, so all Ezra had seen of her were some photographs. Today would be the first time he could hold his daughter. They would finally be a family.

She hadn't seen or talked to her parents since everything went down and she didn't want to. She was so mad that they would do this to her, but in a small part of her mind she knew she missed them. Maybe one day she would be able to forgive them but it certainly was not now.

As Aria pulled up to the prison her breath caught in her throat. This was it; the moment she had been waiting almost a year for. She was a little early so she unbuckled Kayla, set her on her lap and started playing peek-a-boo with her. It was so repetitive but the smile on her face was worth it.

Aria was so engaged with their game that she didn't even notice a tall man who had just walked out of the gate watch them for a while and finally walk up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey babe," she jumped a foot in the air before turning to look at Ezra. Once she did, she let out a small shriek of joy and kissed him full on the lips before they had to break away gasping for air.

They stared into each others eyes for an immeasurable moment before they heard an impatient cry behind them.

Ezra turned and looked at Kayla, and was surprised at the emotion forming in his chest. He looked at Aria who nodded with a small smile. As he reached down to pick up his daughter tears formed in his eyes but he didn't bother trying to wipe them away.

"Hey, baby girl," he cooed, voice still stiff with emotion, "Do you know who I am? I'm your daddy."

Aria wrapped her arm around his waist and smiled at the picture they made. To any passerby they would look just like any other family and Aria wouldn't have it any other way.

Aria smiled as she ran her hand through Ezra's hair, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Let's go home."

**Let me know what you think with a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay final chapter! I want to thank every single person who reviewed my story. Every time I check my email and see a notification in my inbox it makes my day just a little bit brighter. This was originally going to have one or two more chapters but with January second closing in I wanted to post it fast. One day I may add more chapters to it but if (and that's a big if) I do, it will be months from now.****If you are bored waiting for tonight you can check out my youtube channel **/user/mandrewba/videos.** My Anti Aria/Noel,** Anti Aria Jason vid has more negative votes than positive and this just can't happen. Thanks to my amazing beta xxxTrojan-Princessxxx. ****

A few weeks later the newly reunited family was walking through the park enjoying the day and being together.

Ezra was still getting used to the freedom and enjoyed being outside in the fresh air. He was amazed, he never realised just how much a person would take for granted until it was taken away.

He looked at his wife and then at the little baby in his arms and smiled, wondering how he could have possibly gotten so lucky to have them both in his life

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Ezra asked.

"Not in the last five minutes," she replied cheekily.

"Well then we will just have to rectify that now wont we? Mrs. Aria Fitz, I love you more than I could possibly say," he smiled at her.

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before whispering, "I love you too Ezra."

As they were making their way through the beautiful trees and shrubs Aria suddenly froze.

"Let's turn back," she said almost sharply.

"Why, what's going on?" Ezra glanced at her in concern.

She nodded to the clearing 30 feet in front of them. It took Ezra a few seconds before he saw what was causing her distress. Ella and Byron hadn't noticed them yet and Aria clearly did not want to see them so they stepped behind a tree temporarily hiding them from view.

Aria took Kayla in her arms to calm herself down.

"Aria, honey maybe you should talk to them," Ezra suggested timidly.

"How can you even say that, after what they did to you, to us? Aren't you mad at them?" Aria said slightly angrily.

"I was, but then I held our little girl in my arms for the first time and I knew in that moment no matter the cost I would protect her."

Aria made a sound like she was going to interrupt but Ezra kept talking.

"They love you Aria, and I can't fault them for doing whatever they could to try to protect you. They may have gone about it wrong, but try, for me. I know you miss them."

Aria looked like she was going to argue but then sighed, "Why do you always have to be right?"

"Just part of my charm," he replied with a smirk.

Aria took a deep breath as they both stepped out from behind the tree and started walking down the path hand in hand.

It didn't take very long for Aria's parents to notice the couple walking toward them. Their eyes met and both couples froze a good distance away from each other.

The tension was so palpable you could cut it with a knife. Aria looked at Ezra for guidance. He met her gaze and nodded, encouraging her to make the first move.

Aria handed Kayla to Ezra, took a deep breath and crossed no mans land leaving Ezra, and coming face to face with her parents for the first time in over half a year.

It was then that she realized she couldn't think of anything to say. This wasn't an ordinary situation. What do you say to someone who sent the love of your life away? 'Hi sorry I haven't been in touch it's hard to keep in contact when you're managing a pregnancy alone and the father is in jail?'

She finally settled for, "Umm…Hi Mom…Dad…"

"Aria?" Ella started, "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Ezra and I decided to go for a walk" she said drawing her parents focus to the subject of her statement for a moment. She could see the shock in both their eyes once they returned to hers.

"Is that…"Ella trailed off mid sentence.

"Yes, that's my daughter," Aria said with a small smile that always graced her lips when she thought about Kayla.

"What's her name?" Ella asked

"Kayla Grace Fitz," she replied and noticed Byron's face harden slightly.

"Fitz?" he asked speaking for the first time since the conversation started and Aria could tell he was less than pleased.

"Yes, why not?" Aria said slightly more defensive.

"Rosewood is a small town," he said, "It will cause people talk."

"Yeah Dad? I think a full criminal trial took care of that just fine," she snapped.

An awkward silence fell over them again. At last they had come to it, the proverbial elephant in the room.

"Listen, Aria, we may not like all of your choices but obviously there is nothing we can do now. You are married, and have a kid with him. The truth is, we miss you so we are going to try to understand. Can we come over for coffee tomorrow?" Ella said trying to alleviate the awkwardness.

Aria glanced at her dad to see what his reaction was to this and was surprised when he didn't raise any objections.

"You and Ezra can explain everything that you didn't get a chance to explain earlier," she continued.

Aria glanced over Ezra for a moment and turned back to her parents "Ok, what time do you want to come over?"

"How does 7 O'clock sound?" Ella asked.

"Sounds good," Aria told them.

She made a motion to leave but then Ella asked, "Do you think I can hold her?"

Aria followed her glance to Kayla and could tell Ella was already taken with her.

She looked at Ezra and motioned for him to come over.

He shot her a questioning glance before slowly making his way towards them.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"My mom just wants to hold Kayla for a minute," she told him reassuringly.

Aria slowly picked Kayla up before gently easing her into her mothers waiting arms.

"Hey Kayla," she cooed, "Who's a pretty baby?"

Aria grabbed Ezra's hand, put her head on his shoulder and smiled. She knew that this was far from over and tomorrow would bring a whole onslaught of uncomfortable topics but for the first time she felt as if it might just work out.

**Please review**


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